{"id":10775,"date":"2012-02-03T11:27:21","date_gmt":"2012-02-03T17:27:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.austincnm.com\/?p=10775"},"modified":"2012-02-03T11:28:33","modified_gmt":"2012-02-03T17:28:33","slug":"blame-it-on-the-catholic-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2012\/02\/blame-it-on-the-catholic-school\/","title":{"rendered":"Blame It on the Catholic School"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>
\nOn Catholic School education: \u201cIt\u2019s like cement for a house. It\u2019s the foundation for your life to make good choices and to succeed. And it\u2019s a passport. It\u2019s a passport to Heaven that helps you to live the right life here on earth to get there [to Heaven].\u201d \u2013A parent of three Catholic School students in the Diocese of Austin<\/em><\/p>\n

In 8th grade I was sent to the Principals\u2019 Office for the first and only time in my life. Why? I blame it on the fact that I was attending Catholic School. And, when I use the word blame, I mean that in a good way. No, not the fact that I was sent to the Principals\u2019 Office, but the fact that someone noticed what had happened, that I was held accountable for my actions and that I had consequences for what happened. And, I think, it\u2019s because I was attending a Catholic School.<\/p>\n

The story is one of misunderstanding and not hearing instructions. Our class had walked to an area park with our PE teacher, and our typical instructions from her were that we had 30-45 minutes to walk\/run the trails, run around and play football or Frisbee or any other PE-related activity before returning to the school building. But that day, she gave instructions that were not typical. She gave us 15 minutes of PE activity before returning to the school. But three of my classmates and I didn\u2019t hear the time difference. And we took off for one of the walking trails.<\/p>\n

We returned 25-30 minutes later to meet our classmates and PE teacher at our designated meeting spot. Only, no one was there. We worried about what had happened and quickly got back to the school. And immediately, we knew we were in trouble. Fortunately, the mistake was made by four of us \u201cgood kids\u201d that rarely, if ever, caused problems. And we hadn\u2019t been \u201cmissing\u201d from our class for too long, maybe 20 minutes or so. We were split up to \u201ctell our version of what happened\u201d and we all individually told the same, truthful story to the Principal, Assistant Principal and PE teacher. But, we still had to be punished because we didn\u2019t follow instructions.<\/p>\n

So for a week, when the rest of our classmates walked to the park (which happened 1-2 times a day), we weren\u2019t allowed to go.<\/p>\n

I blame the fact that it was noticed we were missing on the fact that I was attending a Catholic School. With an eighth grade class of only nineteen, it\u2019s easy to notice when four students are missing. I blame the fact that I was held accountable for my actions and got in trouble for them. Even though the mistake my friends and I were made was an innocent error, in life in this world and in the next, you are held accountable for your actions and inactions. And, there are consequences for both.<\/p>\n

\u201cCatholic schools are the best because they not only prepare students to be intelligent citizens but they prepare them to be spiritual and moral people who want to improve the lives of everyone in the world.\u201d -A Catholic Educator in the Diocese of Austin<\/em><\/p>\n

My husband Jerry and I, before we were even engaged, talked about how we would want to raise our kids. We talked about some of the more common parenting issues, we talked about traditions, we talked about faith and we talked about education. And for us, if we can afford it, we\u2019ll be putting all our kids through Catholic School education.<\/p>\n

For me both my one year in Catholic School (the reason it was only one year is a story for another blog post) and my experience working at a Catholic Church with a Catholic School (St.Ignatius, Martyr), has made me really excited to one day send our kids to Catholic School. Between the academic and faith opportunities, you find a community that is close-knit and cares. It\u2019s an atmosphere where every child matters. And, as the motto for St.Ignatius, Martyr Catholic School states, Catholic Schools endeavor to \u201cDevelop Curious Minds, Compassionate Hearts, and Committed Lives.\u201d<\/em>
\n
\n\u201cOne reason I notice why people may not enjoy Catholic education is because it associated with religion. Just the mention of religion and teens start to stop paying attention, but I appreciate those who step up to teach our youth because it is a difficult task. I applaud the passion that our Catholic educators have because we are able to see their happiness and that encourages us to learn more about our faith.\u201d \u2013An 11th grade Catholic School student who has been in Catholic School since Pre-K<\/em><\/p>\n

Last year I was asked to be a part of a committee at a local Catholic School here in Austin. As a Youth Minister I work with Middle Schoolers and High Schoolers, the faculty members that invited me thought I would have some interesting perspectives and information to share. And in the process, I\u2019ve learned even more about the hard work Catholic educators perform. I\u2019ve been blessed to see the daily interactions of teachers and students at my parishes\u2019 school. And the things I\u2019ve witness have firmed up my desire to one day send my own children to Catholic Schools.
\n
\n\u201cI like it and I don’t like it. I like having other catholic students around, and I wish mass at my school was more awesome…. meaning I wish more people would participate in the mass, because most seem not to care at all\u2026 [not all students] seem to “get” the whole Catholic part of being at a Catholic School. I wish I knew a way to help them understand what it means.\u201d \u2013A 12th grade Catholic School student who has been in Catholic School since Elementary School
\n<\/em>
\nNo, not everything is perfect in the schools. Nothing will ever be completely ideal and perfect in this broken world we live in. And no, Catholic Schools aren\u2019t for everybody (See Kathryn Whitaker blog post earlier this week, \u201cIs Catholic School for You?<\/a>\u201d). But it\u2019s important to recognize the value of Catholic Schools and the important role they play in providing a values-added education for America’s young people.<\/p>\n

Today ends Catholic Schools Week. And it\u2019s important to support and pray for Catholics Schools to be able to that do what they can in \u201cForming Servant Leaders in the Image of Christ\u201d<\/em> (School Motto for St. Dominic Savio High School in the Diocese of Austin).<\/p>\n

If you\u2019d like to learn more about Catholic schools in the Diocese of Austin, log on to www.csdatx.org<\/a> for more information.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Catholic School education: \u201cIt\u2019s like cement for a house. It\u2019s the foundation for your life to make good choices and to succeed. And it\u2019s a passport. It\u2019s a passport to Heaven that helps you to live the right life here on earth to get there [to Heaven].\u201d \u2013A parent of three Catholic School students… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-blog","entry","has-post-thumbnail"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t